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The Robbie Songs Project: 19 Titles Now Available through Cypress Choral Music!

Over the past few years, the Nova Scotia Choral Federation has been busy with commissioning choral arrangements of the music of the late Robbie Smith. Called the Robbie Songs Project, we are excited to share that 19 of these arrangements (available in multiple voicings) can be purchased through Cypress Choral Music or taken out on loan through the NSCF lending library.

Recently, Cypress Choral Music has recorded choral performances with the Cypress Studio Singers. We invite you to take a listen- it is such a joy to hear these choral arrangements come to life! Here is a performance of “The Painter of Wintertime”, arranged by local conductor and composer, Dr. Frances Farrell:

To view the the rest of  the collection of Robbie Songs, visit: https://cypresschoral.com/composers/robbie-smith/

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African Nova Scotian Music Association: Face the Music

The African Nova Scotian Music Association (ANSMA) is excited to announce its new stakeholder engagement and music industry data collection project, Face the Music. The goal of this project is to gather and share information that will promote greater and more equitable participation of African Nova Scotian music creators in the Canadian music industry.

ANSMA’s initiative which is titled: Face The Music will focus on research as well as critical conversations with a variety of music industry stakeholders to gather information to help build an understanding of disparities and challenges faced by African Nova Scotians creators. Face The Music is the first ever formal data collection project undertaken by ANSMA to gather information from industry professionals who have first-hand knowledge that can help inform strategies to promote equity, diversity and inclusion of African Nova Scotian music creatives in the Nova Scotia music industry.

If you are or know an African Nova Scotian music creator who would be interested in sharing their experience and perspective on the music industry, please contact Delvina Bernard at: delvinabernard@gmail.com

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Choral Canada: Respectful Workplaces Workshop

A Message from Choral Canada:

Do you have current policies and codes of conduct in place for your choral organisation to navigate issues of harassment, bullying, and other complex problematic situations? Register for this FREE TRAINING WORKSHOP that discusses these important issues in the context of a choral organisation’s “workplace”, ie. in-person and virtual gatherings of singers (paid, amateur, children/youth, etc.), volunteers, artistic and administrative staff, board of directors, committees, etc. These workshops are not legal or therapy clinics, but are rather conversations facilitated by experienced cultural sector leaders.

About the Workshop:
Choral Canada and the Provincial Choral Organizations are pleased to offer the Respectful Workplaces in the Arts Workshop for the Canadian choral arts sector and community. They are free and open to anyone to attend.
Presented by the Cultural Human Resources Council (CHRC), the goal of the workshop is to provide information and facilitated conversations to encourage better workplace practices and behaviours.

Register today! https://www.choralcanada.org/respectful_workplaces_workshop

 

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Cantabile Choirs of Kingston: 2021 BIPOC Song Competition

ABOUT THE COMPETITION

Cantabile Choirs of Kingston is calling for submissions for the 2021 BIPOC SONG COMPETITION. This competition is open to composers 35 and under, who self-identity as a member of Canada’s BIPOC community. Submissions are welcome by Canadian citizens (living in Canada or abroad), permanent and temporary residents, and Indigenous peoples in Canada.

THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO FEBRUARY 1, 2022.

For more details, visit: https://cantabilechoirs.ca/bipoc-song-competition/

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Job Posting: Choeur des enfants de Montréal

The Chœur des enfants de Montréal (CEM), a 125 voice choir of children aged 5 – 21, is seeking an Assistant Conductor starting May of 2022. The Assistant Conductor will co-direct the preparatory and Junior extension choirs of CEM in-residence at Share the Warmth. This will be the second year of CEM’s partnership with Share the Warmth. The Assistant Conductor will work together with the Collaborative Pianist to rehearse and teach the children with the repertoire and curriculum provided by the Artistic Director.

For more details about the Choeur des enfants de Montréal , please visit https://choeurdesenfantsdemontreal.com

Application deadline: March 1, 2022

Click here to see the Assistant Conductor job posting.

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Job Posting: Ottawa Choral Society Artistic Director

Working with the Board of Directors and Artistic Team, the Artistic Director (AD) of the OCS plays the central leadership role with the OCS Choir in designing and delivering the OCS programming. The Artistic Director’s primary responsibilities are to develop the programming for the choir, prepare the choir for concert performances, prepare the appropriate pedagogical approach to enhance the choirs’ musical capacity, complete the musical and production planning, and conduct concerts. Required services include regular Wednesday evening rehearsals and additional activities on specific weekends and concert production weeks.

For more details about the Ottawa Choral Society, please visit https://ottawachoralsociety.com/

Application deadline: February 11, 2022

Click here to see the Artistic Director job posting.

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Busan Choral Festival: 2022 Busan Choral Composition Competition

General Regulations
Throughout its festival and competition history, Busan Choral has fostered cultural exchange and promoted high quality of choral music by attracting notable artists, conductors, and composers to one of Asia’s top choral festivals. The Busan Choral Composition Competition seeks to engage with aspiring young composers and to encourage the creation and performance of new works written for the choral music genre. The 1st winning work will be premiered at the 2020 Busan Choral Festival & Competition during the week of October 19-22, 2022.

Eligibility

  • Composer must be born between MAY 31, 2002 and MAY 31, 1982.
    (exceptions may be considered under the BCFC committee’s review.)
  • Compositions must not have been previously published or awarded in previous composition competitions and never publicly performed.

Length and Format

  • 3-10 minutes in duration
  • Piece must be for unaccompanied, equal or mixed voices choir.
  • Smaller, portable percussion instruments are allowed. (Xylophone, vibraphone and timpani not allowed).
  • Text can be chosen from Latin, English or Korean. If another language is chosen, a detailed English synopsis and pronunciation must be included in the score.

Application Deadline: May 31, 2022 (Results will be announced on July 20, 2022)

Applications must include:

  • Complete Online Application Form (at: http://www.busanchoral.org/bcfc/competition/cc_apply.asp)
  • Résumé/CV (*.doc / *.docx)
  • Copy of passport or ID Card with date of birth in JPEG format
  • Score in PDF format
  • English synopsis and pronunciation
  • Midi recording (by computer software) in MP3 format
  • 3 original copies of the score mailed to the Busan Choral office by May 31, 2022 (postmark deadline). Submitted original copies of scores will be used only for judging so there MUST be No Personal Information Included on the score for a fair evaluation. Scores submitted to the Busan Choral office will not be returned (Address: Busan Choral Festival & Competition / Busan Cultural Center, UN pyeonghwa-ro 76-1, Nam-gu, Busan, South Korea 48534).
  • Only one piece per person acceptable

There is no application fee for this competition. 

Results

  • Winners will be announced on July 20, 2022 on BCFC Website.
  • Composition will be judged by a panel of international jury. The jury’s decisions are final and cannot be appealed.

Awards

  • Gold Prize: $3,000 & a premiere of the work at the 2022 BCFC in the week of October 19-22, 2022.
  • Silver Prize: $2,000
  • Bronze Prize: $1,000

Publication and Rights

  • Busan Choral Festival & Competition and the Korea Choral Institute will hold publication rights of the score. Busan Choral Festival & Competition will hold performance and recording rights for up to two years following the results of the competition. This will be negotiated between Busan Choral and the composer.
  • Copyright will be retained by the composer.
  • The winning work cannot be submitted for future composition competitions.
For more information, visit: http://www.busanchoral.org/bcfc/competition/cc_guide02.asp
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University of North Carolina: Indigenous Composers Choral Composition Competition

This call for scores by the University Chorale at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro specifically seeks to amplify the voices and compositions of composers who identify as Indigenous, Native peoples of the Americas, and/or First Nations, and write in any compositional style for voices. Works which encourage the embodiment of story, narrative, and improvisation will be given special priority, as will works in indigenous languages. Composers will receive an honorarium as specified below.

Works written and selected in response to this call will be premiered by the UNCG University Chorale in concert on April 24, 2022. All works submitted will be evaluated by a panel of students and the Associate Director of Choral Activities. Finalists will receive a recorded reading of the work. The winning composition will receive a $500 honorarium. The second-place composition will receive a $250 honorarium as well as a recording of the premiere.

Submission criteria for the call

Composers must identify as Indigenous, First Nations, and/or Native peoples

Composition must be:

  • 4-6 minutes in length
  • Unpublished and unperformed
  • For SATB choir (with possible limited divisi in S/A) and piano (flute, drum, and small percussion instruments playable by ensemble members are also encouraged)
  • Pieces with texts in native languages should include a pronunciation guide (either written or recorded) and will be given special consideration. We are particularly interested in compositions which include elements of storytelling and narrative.

Other information:

  • Rights to texts must be cleared, and evidence of copyright holder’s permission must be shown.
  • Composer will retain the copyright of the piece.
  • UNCG University Chorale will reserve the right to the world premiere of the piece.
  • For payment processing, composers must be citizens of the United States or Canada.

Submissions are due via this form (https://forms.gle/m141crgKqAjRhp8o8) on March 1, 2022. A small committee of members from the University Chorale will review the works and assist in choosing finalists. Finalists will be notified by March 8, 2022 and winners by March 14, 2022. The performance of the chosen works will occur on April 24, 2022 at 5:00pm as part of the University Chorale concert at First Presbyterian Church.

For more information or questions, please contact Dr. Carole Ott Coelho, Associate Director of Choral Activities at UNCG at cjott@uncg.edu.

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Singing in Canadian Schools: COVID-19 Impact Survey – Final Report and Executive Summary

The final documents for the Singing in Canadian Schools: COVID-19 Impact Survey have been completed and are now available for viewing by the public.

It is once again a critical time for advocacy for our music programs- restrictions are in place that forbid singing and wind instrument playing in schools across our province and others. Highlighted findings from the survey results show the severe negative impact that the pandemic has had on the delivery of music programs across the country:

  • Students were not permitted to sing during regular music classes in 70% of music teachers’ school music programs.
  • Extra-/Co-curricular music programs involving singing were suspended in 91% of respondents’ schools.
  • Teachers were unable to teach 60% of the mandated music learning outcomes in Canadian music curricula due to health restrictions, and they were unable to assess students in relation to 66% of these mandated learning outcomes.

The Nova Scotia Choral Federation, Choral Canada, and the many other supporting organisations of this survey invite our membership to #SpeakUpForSinging by starting the conversation in your community and helping music educators return to doing what they do best! For more information on how you can #SpeakUpForSinging, click here.

To view the Executive Summary of the COVID-19 Impact Survey, click here.

To view the Full Report of the COVID-19 Impact Survey, click here.

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#LetThemSing: Singing and Wind Playing in Nova Scotian Schools

On Monday, January 10th, Choral Canada, the Canadian Band Association, the Nova Scotia Band Association, the Nova Scotia Choral Federation, the Nova Scotia Music Education Council, the Kodaly Society of Nova Scotia, and the Kodaly Society of Canada shared a letter advocating for fair and informed decision-making in relation to restrictions on music education. This letter highlights the research and studies that show that, with the appropriate measures, singing and wind playing can be done safely. It is discouraging to see a return of restrictions on singing and wind playing when there has been no reported spread of COVID-19 linked to music education in Canada. Meanwhile, despite the reported spread of COVID-19 during sport, school sports activities have continued with minimal restrictions.

Though this letter has already been shared with a large and comprehensive list of government contacts in Education, Health, and Culture, we ask music educators and our membership to share this letter with school principals, parent support groups, and on your social media platforms.

Here are links to the Singing & Wind Playing letter as both a PDF and three separate PNGs: